The attacks on Christians in Syria are deeply alarming. So too is the danger now hanging over Christian communities across the Middle East. The violence in the Greek Orthodox town of Sqaylabiyah in central Syria has set off loud alarm bells, prompting reactions from both Nicosia and Athens. Both governments have moved to take initiatives aimed at protecting the people of the region.
Nicosia has condemned the terrorist attack through President Christodoulides, who said in a post that “the Orthodox Christian community of Syria is an integral part of the region’s history and civilisation and has suffered grievously during the civil war.”
Nicosia is watching developments closely, while the foreign ministry has already made moves both at international level and through the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Cyprus in Damascus.
It is plain that the chaos engulfing Syria is creating the conditions for extreme terrorist acts against minorities and civilians alike. It is well known that the Orthodox Christian community has endured immense suffering throughout the civil war.
Both Nicosia and Athens have internationalised this latest act of violence in an effort to trigger intervention and pressure on the Syrian regime, with the ultimate aim of protecting the Christian population.
As the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East has noted, the town came under attack and intimidation from neighbouring areas, including acts of violence and vandalism targeting property, while the shrine of the Virgin Mary was fired upon. The assault sparked outrage and a wave of public anger, while the Patriarchate itself has also come under pressure.
The intervention by the governments of Greece and Cyprus is not about Syria alone but, as has already been made clear, about Christian populations across the wider region as well — above all in Lebanon and Iraq. Most urgently, people must be able to reach their churches freely, especially with Easter approaching. The issue of unhindered access for Greek Orthodox Christians, as well as representatives of other Christian denominations, to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem must remain high on the agenda.
What is happening is obvious enough. These attacks are designed to create a climate of fear so that Christian communities — as in the case of Syria — are driven from the region, pushed to abandon their land.
